Honda Civic Type R 2023 Review – International

The 2023 Honda Civic Type R won't be cheap when first Australian deliveries begin in February, with pricing kicking off at a lofty $72,600 – that's $13,000 more than the previous FK8-gen model.

At least that figure includes on-road costs, but even then Honda has positioned its latest Type R well above the Hyundai i30 N (from $46,200 plus ORCs) and even the all-wheel drive Volkswagen Golf R ($65,990 plus ORCs).

In fact, it's also worth mentioning the new model's punchy pricing is so lofty it strays into premium hot hatch territory inhabited by the Audi S3 ($72,900) and BMW M135i ($67,900), plus the new Nissan Z coupe ($73,300).

Like any other Honda model, the sixth-generation Honda Civic Type R comes with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, five-year roadside assist and five years of low-price servicing, with each annual workshop visit costing just $199.

Speaking of service intervals, the Civic Type R needs a check-up every 12 months or 10,000km.

Sensibly, helping offset its big bump in pricing, the 2023 Honda Civic Type R is well-equipped as standard and also includes plenty of features that will delight enthusiasts of the brand, but might bemuse the typical Golf R buyer.

We're talking crimson blood-red carpets and Alcantara-clad sports seats, plus the tactile aluminium shift lever that pays direct homage to Honda’s best performance hits like the early-1990s Integra Type R.

Set to be offered in one well-equipped model grade, the new Civic Type R gets downsized 19-inch alloy wheels, in place of the previous model’s bigger 20s. That said, the new tyres have a wider 265-section profile (up front 245) and are shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres as standard, with the option of a stickier Cup 2 tyre for those who will take their car on track.

Other standard kit includes an eight-speaker sound system, dual-zone climate control and LED headlights and tail-lights.

The new Honda Civic Type R will be offered in just five colours – Championship White, Rally Red, Racing Blue, Crystal Black and Sonic Grey Pearls.

From launch Honda is expected to offer an optional Carbon Pack that adds a carbon-fibre rear wing, centre console and door sills.

An Illumination Pack could also be available, adding footwell and under-seat lighting, door pocket and cup-holder illumination and red ambient lighting. The pack also adds Type R puddle-lights.

The new Civic Type R will only be available as a hatch with four seats, with twin cup-holders positioned between the two rear seats where a third passenger might perch.

The 2023 Honda Civic Type R should be among the safest hot hatches in its class. Equipped with the brand's latest-generation SENSING suite of active safety tech, there's a new front camera that provides a 100-degree view to help the car automatically detect road lines, verges and motorcyclists.

The system is said to be more accurate than other conventional radar systems and helps the car detect pedestrians in both light and dark environments.

As standard there's forward collision warning and mitigation, cross traffic monitor, blind spot detection, lane keep assist, road departure mitigation, traffic sign detection and auto high-beam headlights.

Should the worst happen and the Civic Type R is involved in a crash, there are front, side (front) and full-length curtain airbags, plus new knee-bags for driver and front passenger. There also a new-gen centre airbag fitted.

The latest 11th-generation Honda Civic range was recently awarded a full five-star rating by Euro NCAP, receiving a very impressive 89 per cent for adult protection, 87 per cent for child occupant, 82 per cent for pedestrian impact and, finally, an 83 per cent score for active safety.

Fresh technologies introduced to help justify its $73K price tag include a 10.2-inch customisable digital instrument cluster, 9.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charger and sat-nav, plus loads of standard driver assist that include adaptive cruise with lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, auto high-beam, parking sensors and rear cross traffic alert.

Special Civic Type R tech introduced for the latest model include a custom +R display for the instrument panel that adds lap times, water, oil and boost pressure plus a G-meter. More useful for those who track are the row of gear change-up lights and LogR on-board telemetry.

On any of the pre-loaded circuits the system can evaluate (and score) your driving style (or lack thereof) and even calculate where you're losing time and not carrying enough speed, via data-logging and GPS location mapping.

Externally, there's also been some aerodynamic body parts introduced to increase downforce at high speed and – thanks to the Type R's bespoke front bumper, bonnet, side sill spoiler, rear diffuser and rear wing – in total the hot Civic now produces more than 90kg of downforce at 200km/h.

There's a lot of carryover hardware in the new 2023 Honda Civic Type R, including the last-gen (FK8) model’s 'K20C1' 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder.

Under the bonnet of the latest FL5, engineers have redesigned the turbo to ensure it produces more power while also being more responsive.

A new cold air intake is said to funnel in around 10 per cent more air at any given time, while straighter pipes have increase exhaust gas flow by around 13 per cent. Throw in a more efficient intercooler and a bigger opening for the radiator, aiding cooling, and the updated engine has been boosted by 7kW of power and 20Nm of torque.

The result is the 235kW and 420Nm, making the claimed 0-100km/h sprint time tumble to 5.4 seconds – three-tenths quicker than the old car.

Top speed is 275km/h.

For power and torque, the Civic Type R monsters the Toyota GR Corolla (221kW/370Nm), although its all-wheel drive rival is claimed to be quicker to the 100km/h benchmark with a sub-5.0sec sprint time promised.

Other four-paw rivals like the VW Golf R also post a 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds, but away from a traffic-light dual we think the gap will narrow as the front-wheel drive Honda is only available with a six-speed manual transmission.

The 2023 Honda Civic Type R averages 8.9L/100km on the ADR Combined test regime, while emitting 203g/km of CO2. Those figures are a little off what VW claims for the Volkswagen Golf R (with DSG auto), which averages 7.8L/100km while emitting 177g/km of CO2.

We've written plenty about already the 2023 Honda Civic Type R not starting from scratch in terms of carryover components – at least under the bonnet – and we're happy to report that's a very good thing.

It helps that the previous FK8 Type R was already an exceptionally fine hot hatch and with the latest model Honda has really taken the opportunity to polish out some of that car's rough edges, and that includes addressing its controversial Fast and Furious design.

Based on the larger and more refined new-generation Civic hatch, the new Type R is 37mm longer and 15mm wider than before. With its bigger dimensions and more grown-up looks, many Type R faithful may have worried its predecessor’s famous athleticism might have been blunted – but that's far from the case.

In fact, we're willing to wager the new car will be far quicker on track, mainly because it now has a wider front (+26mm) and rear track (+30mm) delivering greater mid-corner grip.

Like the last-gen model, the new Type R gets dual-axis front struts, a multi-link rear suspension and adaptive dampers all round. The Honda's body, meanwhile, is 15 per cent more rigid than before in part because four times as much structural adhesive has been applied.

New bushings, front and rear knuckles, lower suspension control arms, tie-rod arms and tweaks to improve steering feel all highlight the great attention to detail engineers applied to improve the drive both on road and track.

Honda also listened to real owners of previous models, a growing number of which are regularly tracking their Type R, leading to a huge increase in under-bonnet cooling.

And the addition of a pair of nifty brake ducts flanking the rectangular main air intake direct cool air to the trick two-piece front discs. Honda says that after five laps of a Japanese circuit, the brakes are on average 10 per cent cooler than the outgoing car’s.

Honda also addressed issues we hadn't even noticed with the old car. Few owners had complaints over the pretty much perfect gearshift but it went ahead and improved it further. There's a lighter flywheel too, delivering snappy gearshifts, while an upgrade rev-matching system works better from second back to first.

As we edge the new Civic Type R out of the pits and onto the track, conditions are less than ideal for a powerful front-drive hatchback. It's cold, wet and slippery enough to make the old car's mechanical limited-slip differential work hard.

Against all the odds, the new Type R was far from a handful and didn't leave us wishing for all-wheel drive – far from it. Despite the treacherous conditions, in the most extreme +R driving mode the hot Civic was blisteringly fast, playful and engaging.

Any concerns over the longer wheelbase (+35mm) blunting agility soon evaporated, such is the responsiveness of the tail-end that still arcs wide when you lose grip at the front-end.

Wheelspin was evident, as was some torque steer in the slippery conditions, but the heroic limited-slip diff did an admirable job in pulling us out of damp and sodden corners.

It's also worth mentioning the sheer joy that can be extracted from working your way up and down the sublime six-speed manual gearbox – you never miss a dual-clutch or auto transmission, even in town at slow speeds.

On the road, the most aggressive +R mode is a no-no – at least with the dampers in their most extreme setting. Luckily there's an individual mode that can knock them back to comfort – but even then the spring rate remains on the firm side, although wheel control on bumpy surfaces remains excellent.

Same goes for the way the suspension minimises pitch and dive under braking. Like the very best hot hatches, the Honda always gives you the confidence to push harder and its accurate steering makes it easy to place.

Despite it lagging when it comes to on-paper performance, the Civic Type R's engine is never caught off-boost and feels far stronger than the GR Corolla's donk.

Sadly, to our ears it still doesn't sound as special as the naturally-aspirated Type R screamers that came before it, but the turbo's beefy mid-gear punch – even from even low down in the rev range – more than compensates.

Morphing more into a rival for the Volkswagen Golf R, Audi S3 and BMW M135i on account of its higher price means there's less for the 2023 Honda Civic Type R to hide, but luckily the 11th-gen Civic hatch takes a huge leap forward when it comes to cabin design and material quality.

It’s not quite a match for an Audi A3, but the Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel and sport seats and the smooth aluminium gearshifter are all neat touchpoints that claw back points.

The latest Civic's fresh interior design and superior refinement also help you forgive the poor resolution of the infotainment system and Honda’s penny-pinching decision to not offer air-vents or even USB ports in the second row.

We like the mesh strip that runs from door to door along the dash and nothing lets the side down when it comes to plastic quality, but there's no escaping the fact the Civic Type R was made to a lower price than the Audi or BMW.

Aside from those Tokyo Drift looks, there was little wrong with the last Civic Type R. So it's no surprise the new one leaps back to the very top of the highly competitive hot hatch class when it comes to its performance, handling and sheer entertainment behind the wheel.

With its more subtle wide-hipped look, extra tech and improved cabin, it's admirable that the more rounded yet more capable Honda hot hatch now straddles the gap between the raucous Hyundai i30 N and the smoother and more sophisticated – but less inspiring – Golf R and Audi S3.

It’s a shame then that its $72,600 (drive-away) price tag is such a hurdle. Despite being the most competitive Honda Civic Type R ever, it's a pity that Honda demands such a hefty premium for this generational change.

Can its punchier and more responsive powertrain, complete with superlative gearshift, really be worth the extra $25,000 over the hugely entertaining and very well polished Hyundai i30 N? We’re not so sure, but plenty of potential buyers have already decided.

With more than 4000 expressions of interest, Honda Australia believes a small army of actual buyers are ready, willing and waiting to vote with their credit cards and place a deposit when order books open on December 1.

That means the first year's expected allocation of around 500 cars should sell out with ease – and we’re not surprised.

After all, the accomplished new Honda Civic Type R is a fitting way to celebrate more than three decades of fast Hondas.

2023 Honda Civic Type R at a glance:
Price: $72,600 (drive-away)
Available: February 2023
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 235kW/420Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 8.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 203g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP 2022)